The Abyss | Deschutes Brewery

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Notes / Commercial Description:
A deep, dark Imperial Stout, The Abyss has almost immeasurable depth and complexity. Hints of molasses, licorice and other alluring flavors make it something not just to quaff, but contemplate.

As for the great “drink it now or let it age” debate, we stand clearly on the fence. Distinct and delicious on release, the flavors meld and fuse into an entirely different pleasure after a year or more in the cellar.

User Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by cbarrett4:

5/5 rDev +11.9%look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The most perfectly crafted beer I have ever consumed (again)!

This review is for the 2010 release. Tasted with 2010 nitro, 2009, 2008, 2007 releases at the Portland Deschutes brewpub on December 1st, 2010 (Abyss release day!) Sadly they sold out of the limited number of 2007 and 2008 bottles within an hour!

2010 regular tap: showing very well, though youthful with a ton of astringency that will mellow with bottle age. This baby is heavy, rich, unctuous, and lively! The aromas and flavors definitely dwell on the dark and somewhat evil influence of dark, bitter chocolate with fruit notes from the licorice and hops. Tons of freshly ground espresso beans on the nose and palate. Also, there is a rich note of oak with grippy tannins on the palate. Sports a finish that goes on and on and on....

2010 nitro: same as above just slightly more texture and less astringency. Great for drinking now while the bottle and regular tap are a little intense. (Too bad it won't be around long!)

2009: tasted several times over the last year, and this was my latest taste. Still very young with emphasis still on rich tannins and hops. Needs 1 more year of cellaring!

2008: my personal favorite. This vintage is a little slutty ~ lots of rich chocolate on a polished and more subtle texture than the newer vintages. Cellaring has definitely made an improvement!

2007: if the '08 were an Oregon pinot, then '07 would be Burgundy. This vintage is smoky, velvety, yet subtle with more of the fruit and licorice notes present; also has a lot of espresso and some hints of toasty oak. My second favorite!

More User Reviews:

4.76/5 rDev +6.5%look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

"If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."

--Friedrich Nietzsche

2006 Reserve. Obliterative black that threatens to suck all ambient light from the room. Okay, that's probably over the top, but the beer is aggressively dark. The molasses hued cap is one of the darkest I've seen and is a treat for the eyes. It's thick and rich and long lasting and does a great job blanketing the glass with sheets of finely bubbled lace. In a word: perfection.

The nose is very good without being an absolute stunner. It may be that my expectations were too high, but I expected something with more pungency and more complexity. I can appreciate chocolate fudge and blackstrap molasses. Where's the black licorice? Where's the bourbon? The label says 'aged in oak barrels', but it doesn't say whether or not those barrels previously held bourbon.

The Abyss is *definitely* deserving of the hype. What amazes me most is how it's such a gentle giant. It tastes as if this bottle has been aging for several years rather than barely one. The various flavors all get along beautifully together, as if they've had all the time in the world to get acquainted.

The alcohol delivers just enough warmth to let you know you're drinking a massive beer that needs to be respected. Completely declawing and defanging a beast like this one is never a good idea. In case you're wondering, the 2006 is drinking splendidly right now.

A huge amount of roasted malt (and assorted other ingredients) delivers flavors of dark chocolate, espresso, caramelized sugar, molasses, licorice and sugared vanilla bean. The depth and complexity is close to overwhelming at times. If you love RISs and have the opportunity to buy a case of The Abyss, do so. You won't regret it.

Sweetness edges right up to the 'too sweet' line, without putting a toe over. The key is a surprising amount of citric, sprucey, resionous hops. On second thought, given the region of the country in which these guys brew, I'm not a bit surprised. There's no doubt in my mind that the flavor deserves the ultimate score.

The mouthfeel is a veritable feast for the senses. Like almost every other attribute of this fantastically delicious ale, it finds that precise sweet spot between too much and too little. It's heavily silky and glassy smooth and... well, it's simply perfect.

I have gazed into The Abyss. I've also smelled it, tasted it and felt its creamy lusciousness. This is a Russian Imperial stout for the ages and is one of the finest beers that I've ever had the pleasure to imbibe. Believe the hype and buy all you can get your hands on. Bravissimo!

Thanks to Kevin R for this long time want, 2011 vintage. The abyss pours out like... an abyss. Seriously, it is black, oily, and inky as hell with a deep, deep tan head that froths up slowly like a crema on top of an overpriced espresso. Long lasting, as it slowly recedes but never fully goes away; truly a beautiful beer, and one of the darkest stouts I've seen.

Creamy and roasty coffee beans up front in the aroma. Very "nice" coffee, like the kind you get at one of those indie shops with the hipster, tattooed barista, none of that Meijer aisle 9 shit. Not as good as, say, Speedway, but still a nice coffee blend. There's an underlying sweetness, a la cream and sugar-y, with a bit of back-end mild smoke.

Roasted malts, cocoa, and black licorice make a small appearance; enough to be noticeable, but they really don't leave a lasting impression. I wanna say molasses is somewhere in there, too, but it could just be a conjugate of the overall sweetness and maybe I'm just reaching for some descriptors now. Abyss is coffee, all day; it smells good but isn't exactly that complex.

The flavor leads off like the aroma, like taking a sip of something that's been sitting on top of coffee beans for months. Oily, roasted coffee beans, again, followed up with a balancing sweetness that goes hand in hand with the creamy body of the beer. Abyss has a nice mouth feel; smooth and heavy with pretty damn good carbonation.

Roasted beans and roasted malt keeps pounding the flavor profile. Maybe a little bit of licorice here and some molasses there. But it's not layered quite like I was expecting. And I've made it through nearly the entire glass with basically no mention of barrel. Seriously - I know it's only 33% barrel-aged or whatever, but it does not show up in this beer, at all. Perhaps that's why the complexity suffers.

Here's my problem with Abyss. It's a great stout, really. If I could go pick this off the shelf anytime for about 8-9$ a bomber, I gladly would. I just don't see why people go bat-shit nuts over this beer. I don't understand the 4.55 cumulative average (at this time of rating) for this beer. It's good, but c'mon people, it's not *that* good, and I certainly would never go through the hassle of trading just to get it. When it starts seeing year-round distro, then maybe I'll buy some more.

L - Slightly more than two fingers worth of tightly packed dark brown froth with a few medium sized bubbles mixed in... A slow but actively receding lop sided head that leaves bits of whipped lacing clinging to the sides of the glass... Over very solid and respectable retention... Once receded, there is a lopsided veil of lacing and thin to moderate collar... The Abyss is a very proper names in terms of color as this one is black ink through and through, perhaps with some aubergine notes when back lit... Sheets of lacing cling to the glass after each and every sip... World class appearance...

S - A big robust nose with lots to take in upon first whiff... The first thing to really cut through is the black strap molasses which is sweet and inviting... Next come a mix of sweet milk chocolate and brownie batter... Hints of soy sauce and licorice are next... These all sit atop vinous wine and oaky notes... Dark fruits... Jelly beans... Some faint roasted malts as well... A complex nose with oodles of depth and character... Exceptional...

T - The palate is ever bit as interesting as the aroma would suggest... All of the expected stout characters are present... Dark chocolate... Molasses... Soy sauce... Licorice... Brownie batter... Picking notes of the virgin oak... The tannin notes from the wine barrels really sines through on the finish and adds a ton of depth and richness... Never detected much of the bourbon barrels, but that's okay... This one a marvelous as is...

F - On the fuller side of medium bodied... Smooth... Slightly seek... Starts lush... Slightly chewy... Finishes with a surprising dryness... A bit of a roll coaster ride that takes several sips to get accustomed to.. Overall each sip is an experience... The words I'm left with after several sips is delicate and charming... Again, world class...

O - Oh boy, this one was worth the close the decade wait... I finally acquire this one (2014 reserve) and have let it sit for a few years... Truly exceptional and world class in all facets... This one is worth all of the hype and then some... I'm forever fascinated by Deschutes "big beers," all of which live up to and exceed expectations...

With that I bid beer reviewing farewell... I may add scores from time to time, but my life as a detailed reviewer is coming to a close... Cheers to everyone and I'm glad I went out in style with this one... Remember - Great minds drink alike...

Had 2014 version on draft. I don't understand this beer's popularity. It tasted like bitter teriyaki sauce. No barrel character either. I realize it is expressly stated that the beer sit a year before being consumed, but I'm not sure how much better 6 more months or even two more years can make this.

Didn't like this one as much as I hoped. It was overly roasty and the wine barrel/liquorice taste was a little odd to me. I would be interested in trying this with a little age on it and I do see that Deschutes has a "best after" date on the bottle. We'll give it another shot down the road.

This is my 300th beer review on Beer Advocate. I figure each one of my reviews takes about ten minutes, give or take. That's 3000 minutes reviewing beers on this website. That's 50 hours, a decent workweek for most people. I'd probably add in another 50 hours posting, looking at posts, etc., plus countless more spent drinking beer and reading my print subscription of BeerAdvocate. Needless to say, I have spent a lot of time and effort on all this.

Side poured from the pint bottle, 2014 edition, into a pint glass with standard vigor.

Appearance - As black as the Marianas Trench, just like I expected it to be. Nice two finger mocha head that dissolves rapidly but leaves intensive lacing on the glass. Big dominating presence. Love the packaging, simple but gets the point across.

Smell - The smells mentioned on the side of the bottle can all be detected: bourbon, oak, dark fruits, booze, and a huge dose of chocolate. There is also intermixed some vanilla and molasses.

Taste - Even better than the nose. Massively complex. All of the scents of the nose are present on the palate. The dark fruits, vanilla, chocolate, and spices all make their appearances. Amazing!

Mouthfeel - Finishes smooth, big, rich, and with a touch of booze warmth. Goes down real easy, much better than an 11% ABV would suggest. Low carbonation, big body.

Overall - This is an excellent beer, fully deserving of the 4.5 rAvg and the 100 rating from the BA community. I don't have to explain a lot. Just go get the beer and drink it.

Appearance - This beer lives up to its name in the appearance department: black as the infinite void. A .5" dark tan head forms, then recedes slowly into a wispy, thick cap that leaves dark, sticky lacing.

Taste - Like the nose, semi-sweet chocolate cherry is front and center, then begins to bow out to earthy, woodsy, spicy, fruity, boozy barrel notes. Extremely complex. Roasted coffee and spice-bread-like malts come into play with suggestions of burnt-sugar and a musty yeast ghost note. Big alcohol is ridiculously well hidden; this beer isn't hot at all. A light touch of earthy/grassy hops becomes apparent, and the finish dries out very fast with charred barrel, fruity roasted malts, and light drying bitterness coating the mouth.

Feel - Carbonation is so light and gentle, but pervasive enough to carry this monster beer around the mouth beautifully. Full bodied and thick, but the carbonation makes this one extremely smooth, creamy, and absolutely sublime.

Overall - This beer is an absolute masterpiece; tastes like a barrel-aged chocolate covered cherry followed by about 20 other complex flavor notes, but dries out perfectly for a near-crisp finish. Obviously a lot of work, planning, and master-craftsmanship went into producing this beer - you can taste it in every sip.

Pours a dark black color, with a small light brown (hell, I'd almost say orange) head. Few visible signs of carbonation, besides the occasional minimal rising bubble. The clear black color makes my glass look like a mirror when looking at it. When I hold the glass up and look straight at it, it looks identical to the way my computer screen looks when I've turned my computer off at night. It almost feels like it has no appearance at all, and that the innards of my essence is being reflected by a beer glass.

Smells of licorice, roasted coffee beans, wine, chocolate. Overall, a very full aroma.

The taste is definitely heavy on the roasted flavor, the coffee and chocolate complements each other nicely as neither dominates. I get quite a bit of plum, licorice, and notes of vanilla as well. This beer really does have a fascinating contrast between the sweetness of the chocolate and vanilla, and the bitterness from the smoked flavor and licorice. Very rich flavor, with a large degree of nuance. Mouthfeel is full and satisfying.

I really really liked this beer, but I might have fallen in love with its appearance. This is a perfect looking beer, which makes the fact that it only tastes like a pretty damn good beer slightly disappointing. In either case, this is a very good stout.

I picked up of 2010 purchased at a local grocery store (Fred Meyer). It should be on your bucket list if you're a fan of the dark, well worth tracking down. First year it was good but not exceptional. Two years later it started having more complex flavor and mouthfeel. By 2014 it's hands down the best stout I've enjoyed . Looking forward to cracking a 2014 vintage in a few years to see how it compares.

2015 Vintage, best after 12/8/16 - Pours black as a starless night - pitch black. World class head volume, retention and lacing. For a barrel aged beer, the head characteristics are uber world class.

World class complex nose of chocolate, light char, molasses, dark fruit (plum, raisin, currant), anise and hints of vanilla. Bourbon is present but not overwhelming nor subtle - just the right balance to influence.

Heavy medium body that is smooth but falls just short of creamy, which is not surprising for 12.2% ABV. Carbonation is light yet yields a nice somewhat prickly finish. Carbonation / body balance is outstanding, considering barrel aging.

The flavor profile is world class but many flavors are not as pronounced as in the nose. It begins with a notes of roast and char which flow into a nice oak accent coupled with anise. The middle is where this beer hits its stride. A rich semi-sweet burst of dark chocolate yields to molasses producing a sweet base. Over the base, dark fruit emerges (mostly plum and currant) that slowly allows light vanilla notes to surface. Once the vanilla arrives, a bit of astringent alcohol becomes uncovered along with a bit of heat. Surprisingly, sweet chocolate takes center stage as the alcoholic burn intensifies and flows through the finish. I strongly suggest that you step into The Abyss - often!

Really don't understand what the hype is about this one. The appearance is fine but it's really just getting high ratings because of hype. Even after resting for a year this one is bitter and dry. Overly oaky wood flavor but not in a sweet way. The flavors are far from balanced and leave an off taste one wouldn't expect from a stout. Blending is an art they clearly haven't mastered. Don't buy into the hype on this one folks. Not worth it

Poured from a growler that I purchased an hour before drinking.
Aggressive pour into a glass made for imperial stouts.
About 3 inches of a mocha head that left a nice trail of lacing.
Color was very dark like a black coffee, head was a mocha color.
Looked delicious
Smell. Wow when I opened the growler was overwhelmed with the smell leaving bottle.
As I poured seemed to be overwhelming booze scent. Was afraid would not like.
As it warmed up really smelled cherries and chocolate, and I swear every once awhile I got a vanilla scent.
Taste. Thought I would just drink a glass ended up drinking 3 its that good. Did not notice any alcohol at all. A nice coffee taste with lots of cherry. First sip warmed my gut (I was drinking outside next to a fire and was cold). Could not help but think this is a great night cap beer or if I was camping the first beer of the morning.
This was a great beer and I am so happy to have drank it.
I normally don't drink a lot of Imperial Stouts but will be back tomorrow to refill the growler.
If anyone on BA can recommend a beer in this style that they like more than this please let me know as I would love to try it.

In the glass, yea it's dark... living up to it's name. Aroma gives off licorice, coffee/espresso, molasses, wine and chocolate flavors. The actual taste really only follows through with the licorice, bitter chocolate and espresso-coffee booziness. There is a slight wine and cherry tartness coming through, which I'm not a huge fan of, but it's not overpowering.

While tasty, the problem for me is that no single flavor really shines through. All the flavors got lost in The Abyss? The overall flavor profile seems somewhat unbalanced and a little bit messy. Several sips in, it gets a bit one-note with the roasty booziness.

Many people have said this is great with a year or more on it, and it might be... but any truly great beer should get BETTER with age, but still be excellent fresh as well. Very good, but not great... and overall, not worth the $17.99 per bomber price-tag.

I think it would be amazing for Deschutes to do a 100% bourbon barrel-aged version, but they seem to be against 100% barrel aging for whatever reason.

*Edit... having a 2014 on 12/2/2016, two years later and the review from 2 years ago is still true. Didn't get any better with age and it just still taste like a non-barrel aged massively roasty stout with a somewhat acrid mouthfeel with very little barrel character. Although the 2015 vintage did taste a bit better even fresh.

22 oz bottle poured into a teku glass. Bottled Dec 8, 2016, so just past this bottle's first birthday. Pours jet black and thick as tar, I was expecting very little head, so poured with a good bit of vigor, and got about two inches of stable, tight, tan/khaki colored head that is stable as all get out and leaves loads of lacing on the glass as you drink. Absolutely beautiful in the glass, albeit a tad unexpected. The aforementioned thick head gives off a huge nose of vanilla, oak, and chocolate, with less bourbon that I'd anticipated, and with most of the emphasis being on the chocolaty/vanilla character, with a touch of licorice. Taste brings a lot more layers of the same characteristics. You first taste the chocolate and the molasses makes its presence known, you then get a big hit of dark coffee, vanilla, bitter dark malts, and the taste finishes with oak, a touch of bourbon, and dark red wine, with a dryness similar to that of a Bordeaux Superieur, leaving you wanting another sip. In the finish, there is also a lingering hint of the licorice, which I appreciate a lot. Feel of this beer is very full in body with a thick, luxurious mouthfeel, but only the smallest trace of alcohol as you swallow. Overall, absolutely phenomenal stuff. The best part definitely being that all of the flavors of all of the different flavorings and techniques come through gracefully along the palette without blacking out any others. Complex and layered, its definitely something to sip, to let warm in your glass , and to savor over the course of a few hours. Perfect for late, cold, late december nights.

Pours jet black wIth the smell of dark chocolate covered blueberries or cherries, the taste is very dark chocolate covered fruit with a nice lingering bitterness you can taste the wine and the oak in the end very very very great beer

Notes via stream of consciousness: It's been quite a while since I first tasted The Abyss on tap at Toronado in San Diego back in September of 2008. I recall that I've had one bottle since, and unfortunately that review seems to have been lost, but the price has definitely kept me away. Well, that and the fact that I haven't seen it on tap, although I'm sure that would be really expensive as well. And looking at it in that way, maybe buying a full bottle just for myself is a better idea: it's just a dollar an ounce versus probably more at a bar, or not (?), but I can enjoy it peacefully and without interruption, comfortably in my own home for as long as I like ~ or as long as it lasts! I should also note that for my area the price that I got was good, I've seen it for $4 to $6 more at the specialty bottle shops. I'm looking at the label now and it lists quite a bit of ingredients and barrel aging, which I'm not sure existed in 2008. I don't know, I'm not sure, but I thought it was a little more straightforward back then. Anyway, it's completely opaque black in the glass beneath a short head of densely creamy brown froth. It appears to have excellent head retention but I'll check back in on that. The aroma expresses cocoa powder, caramel, coffee, and a soft ashen roastiness. The flavor is much fuller, adding in notes of red berries, red wine, earth & leaves, licorice, burnt sugar, and baker's chocolate. I can see from the few sips I've taken that it leaves some impressive lacing, and the head is still there, but thinner. Ah, there are some hops in the burp! They don't quite come through clearly in the mouth as they've got to fight through the dark malt. With another sip, as it warms and the head dwindles, I find Bourbon and oak, and a bit of moist chocolate cake in the aroma. Is that the vanilla coming through? As it opens up the flavor widens even further as well, showing notes of cherry, black currant, and molasses, and a heavier roastiness with a bit of dark malt acidity. There's a little bit of alcohol in play, although it's pretty clear in the finish, and along with a solid bitterness and oaky dryness it's really bone dry at the end. I can't tell if I like that or not, I mean it's not really sweet up front to begin with. Hmmm... the berry notes do linger nicely though. I wonder how much the wine barrels add to that. I still have a solid surface covering on it, which is pretty amazing. The label lists it at 11.1% ABV but I guess there's enough malt that it's holding up. It's not that carbonated. I guess it was a little higher at first, it's warmed a bit by now, but it's smooth with just a gently tingle across the palate. Medium-full in body I'd say, oily, and it airs up a bit to become fluffy as it warms on the tongue. So is it worth it? Well this last time around I decided to splurge and I also bought a bottle of Boulevard Rye on Rye Sazerac for $15 and a bottle of Brooklyn Cloaking Device for $23.99, so it's in-between the cost of those, and it's pretty good. It's better than a lot of other Imperial stouts, including some of my favorites, so I guess the answer is yes. Ahh haa, as an aside I've just remembered a good little laugh about my first encounter with The Abyss. While I was in Toronado a group of guys in suits came in to visit, and one of the older guys came over to me and asked what I was drinking, and what I'd had on tap that I'd recommend. I was drinking a Ballast Point beer at the moment which I told him was OK, but that I'd recommend the Abyss. That was, of course, not the response he was hoping for as he was the head guy from PALM at the moment, visiting the U.S. because they'd just released it on draft. He told me I had to try the Rodenbach and bought one for me, although I told him that I'd already had it, that I was a big fan, and even more fond of the Alexander which they didn't make anymore to which he responded "Oh, yes, the Alexander, everyone keeps asking for us to bring that back." At that point I told him that I would like to try the PALM but I guess it's one free beer per customer, and he shook my hand and gave me his card and told me to try it and he and his buddies walked out (they'd probably already settles up). Still, my most memorable moment of the day (apart from seeing Nick Cave around the corner as he was playing later that night) was the Abyss.

T - Warming alcohol, molasses / licorice spicing, notes of roast / char. Has a bit of hot, almost peppery sort of spice present, but perhaps it is just the booze heat. The subtle wine / grapes become more pronounced as the beer warms toward room temperature.

Easily one of the bigger disappointments in my beer history. Maybe I drank it too fresh, but just kind of a mess. Not my thing, I guess. I love BA Stouts, this one is not going to make any best of lists, personally.

If I had to name the beer that sparked my interest in expanding my beer tastes, knowledge, and ambitions, it would be the Abyss. The 2016 Reserve is one of my favorite iterations of the classic. It pours smooth and viscous with a thin head the color of burnt umber. Expect cocoa and coffee on the nose with a bit of vanilla and molasses joining in the taste. Not nearly as sweet as I would expect for an over an over 10% ABV Imperial Stout, it is certainly a complex beer that pairs well with a cigar on a brisk evening.

2015 bomber. Best AFTER date is 12-8-16. Guess I'm about a week early Deschutes.

A - poured into a snifter. Thin, jet black, coca-cola looking. Little head. Very thick however on the side of the glass with very dispersed lacing. It clings to the side of the snifter like wet paint and just doesn't all run back down. It looks very sticky.

T - Wow. Incredible amount going on. I honestly can't even describe it after the first sip it's so complex. It tasted charred, but not burnt. Tons of light roast malt and chocolate flavor. Mild fruitiness. Faint vanilla and oak. The flavors are extremely strong and I'm finding my palate overcome between sips and it hard to recognize new flavors. If it has a flaw it's for being overly roasty and hard to discern the many other nuances underneath the charred flavor.

M - Great here. Not the fudgiest BA beer I've had but it's definitely not thin. Very creamy and chewy. Definitely filling. Overall far above average mouthfeel.

O - Very impressed. $22/bomber impressed I'm not sure. I'd probably buy one a year at that cost but if it were in the $15 range I'd scoop it up without hesitation.

Edit - dropped taste and overall from 4.5 to 4.25 due to the beer becoming overwhelming with roast flavor and less enjoyable towards the finish. A 12oz would have been perfect but a bomber of this is difficult and nothing but burnt sugar and char after a while. I honestly considered drain pouring at 60% and drinking something else instead but the cost of the bottle has me sticking it out.

Edit. Tried one fresher on 2-12-17 (bottled December 2016). I don't get it. I really hate this. It's overwhelmingly burnt and charred. Dropped taste and overall to 3.5 from 4.25 each.

I'll try this one more time, but that won't be until I cellar one for 3+ years to hopefully mute some of this bitter roast and maybe I'll understand the regard for this beer.